Below is an annotated list of children's literature for the elementary classroom. The books are organized by the Six Elements of Social Justice Curriculum Design (Picower, 2007). It is based on work by pre-service teachers at Montclair State University. They have read and reviewed these books and provided insights into how they can be used in K-5 settings.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

The Curious Garden

Liam lived in a
very dull city that lacked vegetation. One day, while he was exploring the top
of an abandoned railway, he came across a patch of dying flowers. These flowers
were in desperate need of a gardener and Liam knew he could help. He watered
them and nurtured them back to life. As the weeks went by, the flowers started
looking beautiful and happy again. When winter came and covered the flowers
with snow, all he could do was prepare for the spring. When the snow finally
melted, Liam returned to the flowers and cared for them again. The flowers
started to grow uncontrollably and their weeds traveled down the walls of the
railway, making their way into people’s yards and around the city. Liam was
most surprised to see all the new gardeners that the flowers had brought around
his community. Years later, the city was covered with vegetation and pretty
flowers. Liam continued to visit his favorite spot where he first found that
little patch of dying flowers.

Element 6: Taking Social Action

This book exemplifies
element six because the main character takes part in a social action that ends
up positively affecting his whole community. His passion towards gardening and
keeping vegetation alive ends up spreading flowers across the entire city. What
makes him the happiest is seeing all the new gardeners (the people living in
his community) outside, nurturing the flowers in their yards as well. The city
went from being dull and colorless to lively and beautiful thanks to Liam and
his social action of making the community a greener place.

Activity

To expand upon
Liam’s social action, I will finish the lesson with a fun before/after
activity. I will distribute worksheets that have two squares side-by-side on
them, the left square labeled “Before” and the right square labeled “After.” I
will ask students to draw a picture of what the city looked like before (left
square) and after (right square) Liam found the patch of flowers on the
railway. Students will be able to color their drawings while discussing what
they drew with the people sitting around them. Students will also write a sentence or two underneath their pictures explaining what they have drawn.